Spring football is in the air, and with our Spring Practice Primers the Eye On College Football Blog gets you up to speed on what to look for on campuses around the country this spring. Today we look at Clemson.

Spring Practice Starts: March 7

Spring Game: April 14

Three Things To Look For:

1. Raised expectations. The hope of returning the ACC title to Clemson had driven Tigers' programs for two decades until Dabo Swinney finally delivered the crown in December. But after the 2011 team "broke through the walls," as Swinney put it several times, the expectations changed completely for 2012. Bringing back all of the primary offensive skill players but Dwayne Allen, and hiring Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables has made 2012 a BCS or bust season. No longer will Clemson fans hope to avoid a letdown, instead they expect to compete for hardware from opening day. Not even a record-setting blowout loss in South Beach could shake the confidence of a new-attitude program hungry for more titles.

2. Improving the offensive line. With Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins, and Andre Ellington all back, the Tigers are set with All-ACC talent at the skill positions. However, troubles along the offensive line prevented the unit from clicking during their late-season slide in 2011. The success of the offense relied too heavily on individuals like left tackle Phillip Price, and this spring should be an opportunity for offensive coordinator Chad Morris to get some depth and a solid rotation along the line. Price and fellow tackle Landon Walker are gone, leaving center Dalton Freeman as the only lineman with any significant game experience. Conditioning should no longer be an issue for offseason practice, either, with one full year of Morris' system under their belts.

3. Brent Venables' impact. The Tigers return just six starters on defense, and have a huge need on the defensive line to replace All-ACC graduates Brandon Thompson and Andre Branch. Former Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables enters as one of the most praised (and highest-paid) defensive coordinators in the ACC, but will have his work cut out with this young group of defenders. On one hand, it might be easier to teach a new system rather than have to un-teach Kevin Steele's complex scheme. On the other, he could end up seeing the same youthful mistakes that plagued the Tigers in 2011. Venables will have all eyes on his defense in 2012, and getting through to his unit this spring will be essential for Clemson's success in the fall.

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Swinney met with the media on Tuesday to discuss several team issues heading into Wednesday's opening of spring practice, and called the NCAA's decision "a shame."

A five-star prospect coming out of high school, Steward was one of the many true freshman to contribute immediately for the Tigers, but his action was cut short by a torn ACL in the fifth game. NCAA rules allow for players to redshirt for medical reason if they had played in 30 percent or fewer of the team's games in a season. While the fifth game put the sophomore linebacker over the limit, the school hoped only playing 36 snaps in those games would result in an exception.

Steward is still recovering from successful knee surgery to repair the damage, and will miss all of Clemson's spring practice. He is expected to be fully cleared to participate in team activities in May.

Another member of that same recruiting class will be returning to practice on Wednesday: sophomore running back Mike Bellamy. Bellamy showed bursts of potential during his freshman campaign, but the on-field time was reportedly limited by off-field conduct and attitude issues.

Bellamy received criticism from the coaching staff during the season, and was suspended indefinitely for violation of a team rule before the ACC title game in December.

Starting running back Andre Ellington returns for the Tigers, looking to build on a junior year that saw him collect 1,178 yards despite missing time due to injury. Ellington has had to miss time because of injury in each of his last two seasons, and there should be opportunity for Bellamy to move up to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart this spring.

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Spring football is in the air, and with our Spring Practice Primers the Eye On College Football Blog gets you up to speed on what to look for on campuses around the country this spring. Today we look at Miami.

Spring Practice Started: March 3

Spring Game: April 14

Three things to look for:

1. Replacing key defensive playmakers. The Hurricanes have said goodbye to several upperclassmen who contributed significantly on the defensive side. With players like Sean Spence, Marcus Robinson, Micanor Regis, JoJo Nicolas gone; Al Golden will be looking to a collection of unproven defensive players to step up. Rookie standouts Anthony Chickillo and Denzel Perryman return for their sophomore campaigns, but the rest of the front seven will need to be filled in with to-be-determined playmakers. One player to keep an eye on along the defensive line is redshirt junior Shayon Green, who has received praise from the coaching staff for his offseason work.

2. Ryan Williams' chance to challenge Stephen Morris. Offseason back surgery will keep junior quarterback Stephen Morris out of contact drills for Miami's spring practice. Morris battled with former quarterback Jacory Harris for the 2011 starting job for nearly six months before losing what nearly everyone close to the program called a "neck-and-neck" battle. But while game experience gives him an edge on freshmen Gray Crow and Preston Dewey, he will still likely have to beat Memphis transfer Ryan Williams for the job in the fall. As a freshman in 2010, Williams won the Tigers' starting job in the second game of the season. A former Florida 6A State Championship MVP, Williams will be looking to put on a show in his return to the South Florida area.

3. Settling on an offensive line. Miami never settled on a single offensive line rotation during the 2011 season. As players battled through injuries and other setbacks, the coaching staff kept competition for snaps open in practice. The results were mixed, and the lack of continuity along the unit seemed to hold back the offense at points during the season. Spring practice has already started with trouble on the line, with tackle Seantrel Henderson getting hit with a brief suspension for a violation of team policy. Henderson, once considered the future of the unit, will face tough competition from one of the deepest positions in spring ball for the Hurricanes.

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After injuries and turnovers led former Miami head coach Randy Shannon to flip frequently between Jacory Harris and Stephen Morris in 2010, Harris - a senior - kept a strong hold on the starting position for most of Al Golden's first year in 2011.

Golden opened up the quarterback competition upon his arrival in Coral Gables, and let the two quarterbacks compete all the way until the end of fall camp. According to Golden the race for the starting position was neck-and-neck for nearly six months, and several teammates confirmed that observation heading into last season.

Morris, now the heir apparent to the starting quarterback position, will be limited during Miami's spring practice - which opens Saturday morning. According to The Miami Herald, Morris underwent back surgery in the offseason. Miami would not confirm the reason for Morris' limitations, but the junior quarterback is expected to meet with the media on Thursday.

Morris' limitation provides an opportunity for Memphis transfer Ryan Williams to make his case for snaps in 2012. Golden likely had no plans of naming a starting quarterback based exclusively on spring practice, but the extra experience Williams has gotten - and will get this spring - should put him in position to compete in the fall.

A native of Miramar High School, Williams decided to transfer back home after just one season with the Tigers. Williams played in all 12 games as a true freshman in 2010, starting in 10. He completed 165-of-290 passes for 2,075 yards and 13 touchdowns, winning the starting job on the field in the second game. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound quarterback led Miramar to its first ever Florida State Championship in high school, breaking a state record with an 85.7 completion percentage in the title game.

What Morris does have is game experience with the Hurricanes, and the advantage of competing for the job already. But with Williams hungry to produce for his hometown school, any steps made this spring could make for another interesting quarterback competition in the fall for Al Golden.

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With teams having already started or starting spring practice over the next few weeks. there are a lot of players across the country who will be charged with replacing someone who has come and gone before them. It's an annual rite of spring in college football, when the senior quarterback from last season is putting the finishing touches on his final semester as a college student, and the sophomore who isn't even sure what he's majoring in yet realizes he's going to be majoring in Playbook 101 for the next few weeks.

Of course, while roster turnover is a common occurence in college football, there are bigger shoes to fill than others, and in this post we take a look at the ten biggest pairs looking for a new owner this spring.

10. Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma

Ryan Broyles began re-writing the Oklahoma record books the moment he stepped on the field in his first game as a Sooner. He caught 7 passes for 141 yards against Cincinnati, both of which were freshman records. Four years later he finished his career having caught more passes than any other receiver in FBS history, pulling in 349 passes for 4,586 yards and 45 touchdowns.

In other words, he's not the type of player that Oklahoma can just replace with anybody. This spring receivers like Kenny Stills, Jaz Reynolds and Trey Metoyer will try to replicate Broyles' production in Norman. Whether it will be one of them doing it, or a group effort, Oklahoma will need it to happen if the Sooners want to win the Big 12 and contend for a national title.

9. Matt Kalil, OT, USC

Understandably, USC fans were extremely excited by the news that Matt Barkley would be returning for his senior season, and many have pegged the Trojans as a title favorite because of it. What you don't want to do, however, is overlook the fact that the man who was in charge of protecting Barkley's blindside these last few years won't be back.

Though that's how life generally works for offensive lineman like Matt Kalil. As large as they are, they're often overlooked. Kevin Graf, Jeremy Galten, David Garness and Nathan Guertler will all be competing for the unenviable task of being the man in charge of making sure nothing happens to the most valuable piece of the USC offense.

8. Mark Barron, S, Alabama

One of the problems with having a defense as strong as the one we saw in Tuscaloosa last season is that you're bound to lose players to the next level, and the Crimson Tide have no shortage of beasts making their way to greener pastures. Still, the Tide have a knack for churning out defensive lineman and linebackers, but safeties like Mark Barron don't come along all that often.

Barron made 231 tackles for Nick Saban in his four seasons, including 13 for a loss, while picking off 12 passes. Barron was the type of player that could defend the pass and the run, and he won't be easily replaced. Can Robert Lester or freshman Vinnie Sunseri step up and be the next stud in the Alabama secondary?

7. Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

Based purely on production, there may be no larger shoes to fill in the country than Luke Kuechly's. There may not have been more than 3 plays run by opposing offenses in which Kuechly wasn't in on the tackle. Kuechly finished 2011 with 191 tackles. The next highest total on the Boston College defense belonged to Kevin Pierre-Louis, who had 74.

As our own Chip Patterson put it, "for Boston College, replacing Kuechly is like any other team replacing 2 1/2 players." Though it's been proven that it can be done, as Kuechly himself once had to fill the shoes left behind by Mark Herzlich. Pierre-Louis and Steele Divitto -- who has a name that would be hard to replace -- will be the two linebackers looking to repeat the feat.

6. Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

Many casual college football fans never truly appreciated how amazing a player Morris Claiborne was for LSU in 2011 simply because opposing offenses weren't dumb enough to test him all that often. Throw in some Honey Badger exploits with a bit of Les Miles being Les Miles, and Claiborne gets a bit lost in the gumbo. Still, Claiborne truly was the definition of a shutdown corner for LSU, playing a pivotal role on one of the best defenses in the country.

While Tyrann Mathieu will be back in 2012, he's not the cover corner that Claiborne was, so it will be up to Tharold Simon to fill the role. One he seems capable of considering he led LSU with 10 passes broken up in 2011 playing mostly as a nickel back.

5. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

I won't lie to you. Even when Mark Ingram will still in Tuscaloosa running through SEC defenses, I always felt that Trent Richardson was the best running back on the Alabama roster. Now both are gone, and Richardson will be harder to replace than Ingram was simply because Trent can't replace himself.

Can Eddie Lacy be the next Heisman finalist in the Alabama backfield? He showed some promise in 2011, and in an offense like Alabama's, the opportunities will be there. Still, even if Lacy is extremely talented, there are only so many shoes capable of doing this.

4. Brandon Weeden/Justin Blackmon, QB/WR, Oklahoma State

A bit of a cheat, I know, but the truth is that Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon felt like extensions of one another for the past two seasons in Stillwater. Their success was as a duo. I mean, Blackmon caught 40 touchdowns over the last three seasons, which accounted for 53% of the 75 touchdown passes Weeden threw with the Cowboys.

Now we know that Oklahoma State is going to continue putting points on the board without them, but will the offense ever be as prolific when the combination is Clint Chelf or Wes Lunt to Tracy Moore? We'll get our first clues this spring.

3. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

Maybe you think that LaMichael James isn't all that hard to replace given the weapons Oregon has in the backfield. I can see your point, but I can also point out that James nearly doubled Kenjon Barner's rushing total (1,805 yards to 939) in 2011. I mean, this is a man who rushed for 1,805 yards and 18 touchdowns while averaging 7.3 yards per carry in 2011, yet we didn't think it was so amazing based simply on the fact we'd already seen him do similar things in the previous two seasons.

We just got used to it.

Yes, Barner and DeAnthony Thomas are extremely talented backs, but the fact is there's no easy way to replace a back who accounted for 5,888 all-purpose yards and 58 touchdowns in three seasons as a Duck, all at the speed of light.

2. Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

Will it be harder to fill RG3's shoes, or his socks? Neither will be easy. While we all know how talented Griffin was as a quarterback for Baylor in 2011 and the two seasons before it, it's his impact on the program that will leave the biggest impression. Baylor went from a perennial bottom-feeder in the Big 12 to a team that can call itself the home of a Heisman Trophy winner.

Nick Florence will be the favorite to replace Griffin this spring, but he'll never be able to have the impact on the Baylor program that Griffin did. Instead he'd be much better served to focus on replacing the production on the field. Something that won't be easy, either, but given Art Briles' history with quarterbacks and the way Florence performed in place of Griffin against Texas Tech, it may not be that far-fetched, either.

1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

Andrew Luck didn't win the Heisman Trophy like Robert Griffin did, but that doesn't diminish the impact he had on the Stanford program. In the three seasons before Luck showed up in Palo Alto, Stanford was 10-26, including a 1-11 season in 2006. In Luck's three seasons the Cardinal went 31-8, played in two BCS bowl games and became a national program.

Stanford is essentially the school Notre Dame used to be, and it's all thanks to Luck. Of course, the question now is whether or not Stanford can maintain the success they had under Luck with a new quarterback. Brett Nottingham, Josh Nunes and Robbie Picazo will all enter spring practice looking to replace the most important player in the history of Stanford football, and that's a list that includes John Elway.

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"I wasn't responsible enough to check with our coaches to make sure that it was something legal and now I'm paying the consequences," Green said in his message.

"I apologize to my teammates, my coaches and to all the Wolfpack fans and hope that all the other players out there learn from my mistakes."

Green will remain on the team, and have one year of eligibility remaining after sitting out 2012. However, the rising junior will remain on the team and be allowed to participate in practice. Green was expected to be a starter in 2012, as he was in 2011 before missing the final five games with a broken foot. He recorded 28 tackles, a sack, and an interception in seven games of action.

N.C. State will open the 2012 ACC regular season in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta. The Wolfpack play Friday night (Aug. 31) in the Georgia Dome against Tennessee. This will be the first year the Chick-fil-A Kickoff includes two games, with Clemson taking on Auburn on Saturday.

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Saturday, September 1, 2012 Auburn vs. Clemson (Chick-fil-A Kickoff, Atlanta, Ga.) Miami at Boston College Florida International at Duke Murray State at Florida State William & Mary at Maryland Elon at North Carolina Richmond at Virginia Liberty at Wake Forest

Monday, September 3, 2012 Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech

Saturday, September 8, 2012 Maine at Boston College Ball State at Clemson Duke at Stanford Savannah State at Florida State Presbyterian at Georgia Tech Maryland at Temple Miami at Kansas State North Carolina at Wake Forest NC State at Connecticut Penn State at Virginia Austin Peay at Virginia Tech

Saturday, September 15, 2012 Boston College at Northwestern Furman at Clemson North Carolina Central at Duke Wake Forest at Florida State Virginia at Georgia Tech Connecticut at Maryland Bethune-Cookman at Miami North Carolina at Louisville South Alabama at NC State Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh

Saturday, September 22, 2012 Memphis at Duke Clemson at Florida State Miami at Georgia Tech Maryland at West Virginia East Carolina at North Carolina The Citadel at NC State Virginia at TCU Bowling Green at Virginia Tech Army at Wake Forest

Saturday, September 29, 2012 Clemson at Boston College Duke at Wake Forest NC State at Miami Florida State at South Florida Middle Tennessee at Georgia Tech Idaho at North Carolina Louisiana Tech at Virginia Virginia Tech at Cincinnati (FedEx Field, Landover, Md.)

Saturday, October 6, 2012 Miami at Notre Dame (Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.) Boston College at Army Georgia Tech at Clemson Virginia at Duke Florida State at NC State Wake Forest at Maryland Virginia Tech at North CarolinaSaturday, October 13, 2012 Boston College at Florida State Duke at Virginia Tech Maryland at Virginia North Carolina at Miami

Saturday, October 20, 2012 Boston College at Georgia Tech Virginia Tech at Clemson North Carolina at Duke Florida State at Miami NC State at Maryland Wake Forest at Virginia

Thursday, October 25, 2012 Clemson at Wake Forest

Saturday, October 27, 2012 BYU at Georgia Tech Maryland at Boston College Duke at Florida State NC State at North Carolina

Thursday, November 1, 2012 Virginia Tech at Miami

Saturday, November 3, 2012 Boston College at Wake Forest Clemson at Duke Georgia Tech at Maryland Virginia at NC State

Thursday, November 8, 2012 Florida State at Virginia Tech

Saturday, November 10, 2012 Notre Dame at Boston College Maryland at Clemson Georgia Tech at North Carolina Miami at Virginia Wake Forest at NC State

Thursday, November 15, 2012 North Carolina at Virginia

Saturday, November 17, 2012 South Florida at Miami Virginia Tech at Boston College NC State at Clemson Duke at Georgia Tech Florida State at Maryland Wake Forest at Notre Dame

Saturday, November 24, 2012 Boston College at NC State South Carolina at Clemson Miami at Duke Florida at Florida State Georgia Tech at Georgia Maryland at North Carolina Virginia at Virginia Tech Vanderbilt at Wake Forest

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Former Miami Hurricane Glenn Sharpe has been arrested on murder charges in Georgia, according to a local report.

CBS Miami is reporting that Sharpe, 28, is accused of killing Christopher Galloway on Feb. 2 at his home near Stone Mountain, Ga.. Members of the DeKalb County Sheriff's office arrested Sharpe on Thursday at his Lawrenceville home without incident.

Sharpe was named the Brian Piccolo Award winner by the ACC in 2006 after overcoming two serious injuries to make his way back to the field, but is best known for his play in the 2003 BCS National Championship Game. Sharpe was involved in the controversial pass interference call in overtime that gave Ohio State the opportunity to defeat Miami 31-24 in the second overtime.

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